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Friday, December 28, 2012

Sarah Update

Sarah and I want thank Cairo’s for having us over for dinner Christmas eve and Cynthia for hosting Christmas day dinner. We had a great time at both places.

Sarah was suppose to get her fourth and final treatment of the heavy duty drugs yesterday but she has been having heart problems, pounding pulse, chest pain/soreness, so the doctor delayed the treatment a week and set up an appointment for her to see a cardiologist.

So today we saw, quick wasn’t it, Dr. Advani, MD PhD. She is a cardiologist and a pharmacologist, I asked her about that and she said her parents didn’t want her to be a doctor but agreed to pharmacy school. She said once she got in she was able to get her parents to agree to medical school. She was very nice and ordered a stress test, echocardiogram and a heart monitor. So if the test were ok today Sarah will get her fourth treatment next Thursday and then on the 11th she will begin the weekly Paclitaxel chemo treatment. Otherwise everything is going good for her.

We had another fire alarm this morning, it seems the generator has a short in it and it fired up but the vents to expel the heat didn’t open so it set off the alarm. They have someone coming in to fix the generator.

I had a note from the Kenny & Angela Harper,  www.rvlifeisgoodtoday.blogspot.com, thank you for the note. I thought about staying in the camper but felt with Sarah and the treatments we best not do that. If we had gone south to do the treatments we would have stayed in the camper. So the good thing is I don’t have to go out if I don’t want to, except to take Sarah to treatment, so it hasn’t been that bad.

Not much else is going on so until later, Dreams Do Come True.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

It is COLD


Ok, someone has it out for me. It is 26 degrees outside and 35 mph winds, gusting to 50 mph. I am so glad we aren’t living in the camper.

Last night was a rough night, someone set off the fire alarm, each apartment has one in it, and ours is right above the bed, very loud. Since I use a CPAP when I sleep it is necessary to have electricity, twice the power went out, five this morning I gave up and didn’t use it anymore.

I am always amazed at the “stupidity” of news reporters who go out in hurricanes etc.; well I have to say Iowa has a “stupidity” factor also. This morning on the local news shows they are talking to the state troopers and DOT guys who are saying stay home don’t go out unless you have to. So what do you see on TV is the reporter and photojournalist driving down the road giving a stall by stall report of the weather. Ok people, what part of don’t go out if you don’t have to don’t you understand.

So I don’t plan on going anywhere today, I am going to stay in and stay warm. I finally bought a winter coat for myself, I needed one.

Here are two pictures taken from our apartment:


This isn't exactly the dream we wanted this winter but it is the one we have been dealt and we'll make the best of it. 

Dreams Do Come True

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Update, 12/18/2012

Ok, short update and to curtail rumors that I don’t cook, here goes.

Sarah is feeling much better and is eating better. Today we ventured out to the RV dealer where our camper was at for repairs, they were done with it. Almost $900 later, none covered by our warranty policy, we were able to finally get it over to the storage site and get it stored for the winter. (Thanks to Mike Cord for taking us out to the dealer and going with us to the storage site.) That being done we headed back to the apartment.

It is a crappy day out with a weather watch, up to eight inches of snow in some places, so I don’t plan on going anywhere for a couple of days. I still don’t have a winter coat, maybe this weekend or I could wait until after the first of the year and get one on sale.

Anyway, we got back to the apartment and I was able to get the truck into the parking garage under the building so it will be in out of the weather. It will cost but I am much more at ease with the truck inside and not in the elements, I wish I could have found an indoor place for the camper.

Now this may come as a surprise to some of you but I like cookies, no, I really do, so we had some cookie mix and I thought to myself, I can do this, so here is the proof.

clip_image002[1]clip_image004Even Sarah says they are good. I currently have a meatloaf in the oven; I love meatloaf, so this proves we don’t always eat out.

As of yet we have not turned on the heat in the apartment, we even open the patio door occasionally when Sarah gets hot. I guess living on the sixteenth floor has some advantage, except the heat is included in the rent.

Sarah’s next chemo treatment is the 27th so she will be able to enjoy Christmas, we are going over to Cynthia’s for Christmas dinner we are cooking a turkey and the trimmings.

Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers and Christmas cards they are much appreciated.

Until later, Dreams Do Come True

Friday, December 14, 2012

Update 12/14/12


The laundry is done and Sarah is sleeping so it is a good time to do an update of what we have been up to, not much really but here goes.

Thursday, the sixth, we met Norma Cairo at the new Hy-Vee store in Urbandale. This store is something to see, it is huge, doesn’t have furniture and the like as I have seen in some stores especially down south, but it is big. They have an area set aside where they do cooking demonstrations and classes. A dietician/chef, who works for Stoddard Cancer Center, her husband is the seafood manager and a chef at this Hy-Vee, put on a class for cancer patients once a month. The purpose is to get the people eating nuitrious food and help with other dietary questions. This time is was seafood with risotto and squash soup. Now I like squash, up to a point, but the soup was to sweet for me, but the risotto and seafood was great.

I did buy a couple of crab cakes, made by the chef, and cooked them that night, they were great.

Sarah & Cynthia did some shopping on Friday, I bought a coat but then split up with them to go find a warm up suit to wear in the apartment, I couldn’t find one my size, that is to say the inseams on all of the pants that fit me were 32 inches and I take a 30 inch. Is it my imagination or is that the trend to have the pants bunch up at the top of the shoes. Anyway I did get a pair of sweat pants to wear so I accomplished half my goal. The other thing I bought was a winter coat, not expecting to need one in the south, I bought it at Sears.

Sunday was a trip to Costco. We wanted to get a vacuum cleaner, the one they have in the apartment wouldn’t pick up a piece of tissue. We found an Electrolux upright with a $50 discount on it and it works great.

Monday we met Cairo’s for dinner at American Legends in West Des Moines. They have good food; we have eaten here a couple of times. We sat and talked for a while; their dog had surgery on its back and wasn’t responding to therapy like they had hoped, but yesterday they told us things were improving so that is good.

Tuesday I went out to Illahee Hills, they had called a few days before, to ride with their driver and fill out paperwork so I could sub for him as needed. This will give me something to do and maybe I won’t eat so much. I am hoping to hear from Enterprise Car Rental, I applied there also to drive part time for them.
Wednesday was another treatment day for Sarah, she handled it well, they have changed the drug for nausea and it seems to be working the best with fewer side effects than the other two. This one does make her sleep a bit more but I don’t think that is bad.

Today we did the laundry. I dropped the basket with the bottle of laundry soap, liquid, and the lid broke on it so the laundry room floor is clean and fresh smelling.

I had a call today telling me I won a bunch of gift cards from some online seller, I have no idea who or what the site is, but they wanted to know my age and I said I was retired. The woman kept asking me what my age is and I said I am retired and I wasn’t going to tell her my age, she hung up. Not sure, what it was all about but I was being ornery about not giving her my age. Maybe I should have just to see where the conversation was going.

Well that brings us up to date on what we are doing.

I still love our view; I watch Mercy Hospital’s helicopter come and go. Cool! The hospital is upper right past the parking ramp.

I hope everyone has a Very Merry Christmas and a Glorious New Year.

Dreams Do Come True

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Des Moines, IA 12/4/12


We are five days pass the chemo treatments and Sarah is feeling better, says she is still tired but otherwise the post treatment feelings are getting better. I guess this is the way it will be for these drugs, two treatments down and two to go, then the doctor changes the drug and it is weekly for fourteen weeks.

Last Thursday I went to an interview for a shuttle driver position at Enterprise car rentals. I filled out the paperwork and Erin, the logistics mgr, said it would take a week or so to do all the background checks. The job isn’t high paying, $7.25/hr for up to 25 hrs per week, but it will buy the groceries and give me something to do especially when Sarah isn’t felling up to doing anything.

Friday and Saturday, we didn’t do anything; these are the days Sarah begins to really feel the effects of the treatments, nothing drastic, just plain tired so we don’t do anything.

Sunday I went to church, Sarah wanted to go but didn’t feel quite up to it and I am not comfortable with her being in crowds this soon after a treatment. The chemo lowers her immune system and I don’t want to risk her getting any disease.  That afternoon we did go out to Cynthia’s, she wanted my help in putting her patio furniture away, it didn’t take long to do that. We had lunch and Sarah was feeling tired so we came back to the apartment. It is funny, I can’t quite get myself to call this home, even though we will be here a while, it is just another place we have landed for now.

Monday, yesterday, I went out to Shorewood RV, here in Des Moines; I dropped the camper off a month ago to get the washer fixed and the rig winterized. I talked to them on Friday and the girl was telling me they were having trouble with the inverter. I told her there is nothing wrong with the inverter. So I drove out there to see for myself what was going on, evidently the tech figured out his problem and they are suppose to finally get to removing the washer and getting it fixed. We’ll see what happens; I truly miss the efficiency and professionalism of the Excel service center. I hope they can fix the washer but even though I told them I was in no hurry to get the camper back this is a bit long.

Today I have done the laundry, changed the bedding and will go for a walk with Sarah in a bit, so I do keep busy but I do like to drive so I am looking forward to working for Enterprise.  

Until later, Dreams Do Come True